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Web development careers - a bubble about to burst?

Hello, I am new here! I remember making my first webpages on geocities.com with basic HTML (back when using frames was cool), and after refreshing my HTML knowledge on codecademy.com, I am starting to love some of the other languages like CSS and jQuery. So I am considering making a career change as a web developer because I am realizing how much I love to build things and be creative.

It seems to me that there is currently high demand for web developers. A quick search on indeed.com will confirm this (an even greater demand than my current profession as an accountant, and "there is always a need for accountants.")

My questions are as follows:

- Do you think the economy is currently undergoing a bubble in the demand for web developers? With every business wanting to go online/mobile, it seems like this would be an excellent career, but do you think there are some other negative factors that should be considered?
- With so many webpage design software and applications that make it so easy for the ordinary person to make his/her own website, how do web developers feel about the demand for their skills?
- Is a computer science degree an absolute must for someone wanting to be in this profession, or is having the know-how and a killer portfolio enough to get in the door?

As far as I can see, there is still a demand for good programmers (probably a shortage, really), both client-side and server-side, to create custom web applications. As for simply creating a web presence and perhaps fairly straight-forward e-commerce sites for small businesses and such, I'm not sure how much that will be taken over by some combination of do-it-yourself software/sites along with service companies using cheap, off-shore labor; so I'm less bullish about that type of work.

"Please give us a simple answer, so that we don't have to think, because if we think, we might find answers that don't fit the way we want the world to be."
~ Terry Pratchett in Nation

Sadly, everyone and their grandmother has a copy of Wordpress (or some such) and thinks that makes them a web developer! So there is little opportunity to build up a viable business. Also development skills are only part of the story. Many people, myself included, lack the artistic talent needed to be a good web designer, and/or the marketing skills to drum up business. The bubble has well and truly burst.

If you do good, a career in web development is profitable. It is long-lasting in the sense that I doubt if it will ever be obsolete. BUT the industry is always changing meaning a lot of innovations take place, developments are always coming out about softwares, tools, trends.

"Sadly, everyone and their grandmother has a copy of Wordpress (or some such) and thinks that makes them a web developer! "

Just some thoughts and don't sell WP short...

I've been coming to this forum for many years and deeply respect the skills of the moderators and visitors. There is a huge span between "building websites" and being a "web developer". I DO have a degree in computer science and am more than familiar with many programming languages from BASIC to Java. I started building websites from scratch 13 years ago with old html and tables and graduated to HTML5 and CSS3 with all the steps inbetween including responsive design and JQM. I DO NOT build websites for a living...my motto is "it's a hobby, not a business." It's great fun. I get paid sometimes, but mostly I work for free on projects that interest me. What a life.

I build sites with WordPress. It's relatively easy because of my background and I can concentrate on content and design and not the code. But I can modify the code when needed. I know what's going on. My grandmother and her friends would find WP quite difficult - as well as my friends. It's not easy for the man on the street, unless you use it as a blog right out of the box.

It does NOT make me a "web developer". Maybe a "webmaster"? heehee... I just build little websites for clubs, organizations, churches, etc... I can see how building small sites could be lucrative, but it would require volume. I suppose you could just crank em out with WP.

"I'm not sure how much that will be taken over by some combination of do-it-yourself software/sites along with service companies using cheap, off-shore labor; so I'm less bullish about that type of work. "

I don't have much faith in do-it-yourself software or WP in the hands of amateurs, but cheap off-shore labor that has some skill would be a concern. I don't know...I sometimes wish I was an accountant.

PS The CS degree is of little use except for maybe a credential-proves you can learn and might not be stupid. The course work was largely theoretical and mathematical not real practical for getting a job.

Web development itself is like a field, only wordpress, and joomla can not make us web developer, being a developer it is also not important to get software engineer's degree, but yes some specialization or certifications will actually help you a lot to get a head in this field.

I can also remember doing simple sites on geocities haha, that was quite fun. Hmm, actually even accountants are also needed for the jobs, same as to programmers, but the only difference is the level of salary I think, programming is a very "complex world" especially if you really don't experience it so much.

“I can never gain something without losing everything I had before.”― Nadia Scrieva, Fathoms of Forgiveness | 12BET